The argument of this book is that an anarchist society, a society which organises itself without authority, is always in existence. Through a wide-ranging analysis - drawing on examples from education, urban planning, welfare, housing, the environment, the workplace, and the family, to name but a few - Colin Ward demonstrates that the roots of anarchist practice are not so alien or quixotic as they might at first seem but lie precisely in the ways that people have always tended to organise themselves when left alone to do so.
What do anarchists want? Can anarchy ever function effectively as a political force? Is anarchism more 'organized' and 'reasonable' than is currently perceived? Colin Ward explains what anarchism means and who anarchists are in this illuminating and accessible introduction to the subject.
Education is a challenging subject for anarchists. Many are critical about working within a state-run education system that is embedded in hierarchical, standardized, and authoritarian structures. Numerous individuals and collectives envision the creation of counterpublics or alternative educational sites as possible forms of resistance, while other anarchists see themselves as “saboteurs” within the public arena—believing that there is a need to contest dominant forms of power and educational practices from multiple fronts. Of course, if anarchists agree that there are no blueprints for education, the question remains, in what dynamic and creative ways can we construct nonhierarchical, anti-authoritarian, mutual, and voluntary educational spaces? Contributors to this edited volume engage readers in important and challenging issues in the area of anarchism and education. From Francisco Ferrer’s modern schools in Spain and the Work People’s College in the United States, to contemporary actions in developing “free skools” in the U.K. and Canada, to direct-action education such as learning to work as a “street medic” in the protests against neoliberalism, the contributors illustrate the importance of developing complex connections between educational theories and collective actions. Anarchists, activists, and critical educators should take these educational experiences seriously as they offer invaluable examples for potential teaching and learning environments outside of authoritarian and capitalist structures. Major themes in the volume include: learning from historical anarchist experiments in education, ways that contemporary anarchists create dynamic and situated learning spaces, and finally, critically reflecting on theoretical frameworks and educational practices. Contributors include: David Gabbard, Jeffery Shantz, Isabelle Fremeaux & John Jordan, Abraham P. DeLeon, Elsa Noterman, Andre Pusey, Matthew Weinstein, Alex Khasnabish, and many others.
Of all political views, anarchism is the most ill-represented. For more than 30 years, in over 30 books, Colin Ward patiently explained anarchist solutions to everything from vandalism to climate change - and celebrated unofficial uses of the landscape as commons, from holiday camps to squatter communities. In Talking Anarchy he discusses the ups and downs of the anarchist movement during the last century, including the many famous characters who were anarchists or associated with the movement, including Noam Chomsky and George Orwell.
Part of a small but growing phenomenon in Israel since 2003, Anarchists Against the Wall have been boldly challenging the Segregation Barrier and generalised violence against occupied Palestine. The reflections herein offer a window into some of the most dynamic direct action activism today. Includes contributions from several well-respected journalists and political commentators, including: Bill Templer, Adar Grayevsky, Yanai Israeli, Kobi Snitz, Anat Guthmann, Anat Matar, Neve Gordon, Yossi Bartal, Sarah Assouline, Basel Mansour and the editors themselves.
Faces masked, dressed in black and attacking the symbols of capitalism, Black Blocs have been transformed into an anti-globalisation media spectacle. But the popular image of the window-smashing thug hides a complex reality. Francis Dupuis-Dri outlines the origin of this international phenomenon, its dynamics and its goals, arguing that the use of violence always takes place in an ethical and strategic context. Who's Afraid Of The Black Blocs? lays out a comprehensive view of the Black Bloc tactic and locates it within the anarchist tradition.
Robert Nozicka s Anarchy, State, and Utopia is a powerful, philosophical challenge to the most widely held political and social positions of our age ---- liberal, socialist and conservative.
Drawing inspiration from the everyday creativity of ordinary people, the late Colin Ward long championed a unique social and environmental politics premised on on the possibilities of democratic self-organisation and self-management from below. This colllection gives a wide-ranging overview of Ward's earliest journalism, with seminal essays, extracts from his most important books and examples of his most recent work, much of which considered the problems of housing and education and how they can be better organised.
Today the word “anarchism” inspires both fear and fascination. But few people understand what anarchists believe, what anarchists want, and what anarchists do. This incisive book puts forward the case for anarchism as a pragmatic philosophy. Originally written in 1969 and updated for the twenty-first century, About Anarchism is an uncluttered, precise, and urgently necessary expression of practical anarchism. Crafted in deliberately simple prose and without constant reference to other writers or past events, it can be understood without difficulty and without any prior knowledge of political ideology. As one of the finest short introductions to the basic concepts, theories, and applications of anarchism, About Anarchism has been translated into many languages, including French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Polish, and Russian. This new edition includes an updated introduction from Natasha Walter and an expanded biographical sketch of the author, Nicolas Walter, who was a respected writer, journalist, and an active protester against the powers of both the church and the state.
